1446 Chem. Pharm. Bull. 53(11) 1446—1450 (2005) Vol. 53, No. 11 A Rapid and Reliable Solid-Phase Extraction Method for High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Analysis of Opium Alkaloids from Papaver Plants ,a a a,1) b Kayo YOSHIMATSU,* Fumiyuki KIUCHI, Koichiro SHIMOMURA, and Yukiko MAKINO a Research Center for Medicinal Plant Resources, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation; 1–2 Hachimandai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305–0843, Japan: and b Narcotics Control Department, Kanto-Shin’etsu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare; 2–4–14 Nakameguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153–0061, Japan. Received August 10, 2005; accepted August 26, 2005; published online August 31, 2005 A rapid and reliable solid-phase extraction method for HPLC analysis of opium alkaloids from Papaver plants was established. Fifty mg of dried and powdered plant sample was extracted with 5 ml of 5% acetic acid for 30 min under sonication. After centrifugation, 3 ml of the supernatant was loaded on a reversed-phase cation- exchange solid-phase extraction cartridge. After seriate washings with 0.1 M hydrochloric acid and methanol, al- kaloids were eluted with a mixture of 28% ammonia and methanol (1 : 19). The eluate was concentrated under nitrogen stream at 40 °C and the residue was dissolved in 50% aqueous methanol for high performance liquid chromatographic analysis. With this solid-phase extraction method, the recovery of morphine, codeine, ori- pavine, thebaine, papaverine, noscapine and sanguinarine was from 99.94 to 112.18% when the standard alka- loids were added to the plant samples. Opium alkaloids of a variety of genus Papaver plants cultivated in a field and phytotron were analyzed by this method. Key words solid-phase extraction; opium alkaloid; genus Papaver; high performance liquid chromatographic analysis Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum L. contains pharma- genated solvents, chloroform and dichloromethane, are not ceutically important alkaloids such as morphine, codeine, needed, however, there is no report on solid-phase extraction thebaine, papaverine and noscapine.2) Although morphine is of opium alkaloids from the plant materials as far as we the most effective analgesic, it also has strongly addictive know. The present paper describes a rapid and reliable solid- properties and is a raw material for illegal heroin production. phase extraction method for opium alkaloids from Papaver Opium alkaloids including morphine, codeine and thebaine plants for HPLC analysis. are narcotic drugs under international control.3) Cultivation of opium poppy (P. somniferum L.) and great scarlet poppy Experimental (P. bracteatum Lindl.), which produces thebaine, is strictly Plant Materials Capsules of Papaver somniferum, P. setigerum, P. controlled under the Opium Law and the Narcotics and Psy- bracteatum and P. pseudo-orientale cultivated in a field or a phytotron (20 °C/14 or 16 h light, 17 °C/10 or 8 h dark, 60% relative humidity) at Division chotropics Control Law, respectively, in Japan. P. somniferum of Tsukuba, Research Center for Medicinal Plant Resources, National Insti- has a long cultivation history worldwide and there are many tute of Biomedical Innovation, were used as plant materials. They were ei- varieties having various colors and shapes of flowers, shapes ther air-dried or lyophilized and ground prior to extraction. Capsules of of capsules, and alkaloid composition and content.2—4) De- field-grown P. somniferum var. Ikkanshu and leaves of juvenile P. som- niferum (India variety) grown in a phytotron were used for extraction experi- spite the strict control of the plants, seeds of P. somniferum ments. have been imported and sold as an ornamental gardening Extraction Solvent A powdered capsule (ca. 150 mg) was weighed and flower. To control illegal cultivation of the plants, rapid and placed in a 2 ml eppendorf tube, and extracted with a solvent (1.5 ml) indi- reliable extraction methods of opium alkaloids from many cated in Table 1 under sonication for 30 min. Then the mixture was stirred ϫ plant samples are required, because distinction of these with vortex mixer for 1 min, and centrifuged (18000 g, 10 min). The super- natant (20 ml) was injected into an HPLC column. plants from legal ornamental species is difficult at their vege- HPLC Conditions The alkaloids were analyzed with a TOSOH (Tokyo, tative growth stage. Japan) HPLC system (auto sampler, AS-8020; column oven, CO-8020, The alkaloids in genus Papaver were extracted by liquid– pump system, CCPM-II; photodiode array detector, PD-8020) equipped with liquid extraction,5) with methanol,6) or a mixture of methanol a TSKgel ODS-120 A column (TOSOH, 4.6 i.d.ϫ250 mm). The conditions Ϫ and 28% ammonia.7) However, liquid–liquid extraction is la- were as follows: mobile phase, acetonitrile (solvent A) 10 mM sodium 1- heptanesulphonate in water (adjusted to pH 3.5 with phosphoric acid) (sol- borious and requires biologically toxic chloroform, the use of vent B); gradient, 0—15 min from 20 to 30% solvent A, 15—20 min from which is decreasing because of environmental protection, and 30 to 40% solvent A, 20—25 min 40% solvent A, 25—30 min from 40 to methanolic extracts contain impurities that affect separation 50% solvent A, 30—35 min from 50 to 20% solvent A; flow rate, 1 ml/min; of alkaloids. The alkaloids in gum opium and poppy straw column temperature, 40 °C; detection, UV at 284 nm. Each peak correspond- were also extracted with 2.5% acetic acid and purified by use ing to morphine, codeine, oripavine, thebaine, papaverine, noscapine and 8) sanguinarine was confirmed by measuring UV spectrum from 200 to 400 nm of a base-deactivated silica-based stationary phase column. using photodiode array detector. Correlation coefficients (r) of the standard In this case, toxic organic solvents, dichloromethane and iso- curves of the alkaloids were from 0.9998 to 0.9999. Retention times of the propanol, were required to elute the alkaloids from the purifi- authentic alkaloids did not change (differences were between 0.1 to 2.5%) cation column. Solid-phase extraction has been applied for even after several hundreds of analyses. analysis of narcotic drugs in biological fluids such as urine Liquid–Liquid Extraction (Partition) Liquid–liquid extraction of 9—11) opium alkaloids was carried out according to a method reported previ- and plasma, and shown to provide clean extracts without ously12) with a slight modification. Briefly, powdered capsules (ca. 50 mg) sample loss through emulsion formation. Additionally, halo- were extracted with 5% acetic acid (5 ml) under sonication and then mixed ∗ To whom correspondence should be addressed. e-mail: [email protected] © 2005 Pharmaceutical Society of Japan November 2005 1447 Table1. Influence of Extraction Solvent on the Extraction of Opium Alkaloid from Field-Cultivated P. somniferum var. Ikkanshu Capsules Alkaloida) % dry weight (% CVb)) Entry Extraction solvent Mor Cod The Pap Nos 1H2O 0.224 (7.6) 0.031 (34.3) 0.007 (0.0) 0.015 (11.5) 0.013 (27.7) 2 1% AcOH 0.272 (17.6) 0.025 (22.3) 0.007 (8.7) 0.023 (24.4) 0.023 (49.0) 3 5% AcOH 0.307 (22.7) 0.029 (27.6) 0.010 (6.0) 0.032 (19.0) 0.019 (34.4) 4 0.1 M HCl 0.232 (19.5) 0.030 (46.7) 0.011 (39.6) 0.029 (21.0) 0.021 (24.1) c) 5 0.1 M Na-citrate 0.282 (5.7) 0.037 (27.1) 0.011 (43.3) 0.017 (0.0) 0.020 (13.2) 6 50% EtOH 0.456 (22.1) 0.040 (82.5) 0.018 (38.5) 0.072 (51.2) 0.078 (71.6) 7 1% AcOHϩEtOH (1 : 1) 0.367 (21.5) 0.026 (13.7) 0.013 (26.6) 0.054 (26.7) 0.050 (25.2) 8 5% AcOHϩEtOH (1 : 1) 0.357 (38.5) 0.029 (75.1) 0.011 (58.7) 0.045 (49.2) 0.047 (65.5) 9 0.1 M HClϩEtOH (1 : 1) 0.335 (11.7) 0.031 (42.7) 0.014 (14.3) 0.061 (11.6) 0.056 (11.7) 10 0.1 M Na-citrateϩEtOH (1 : 1) 0.331 (9.2) 0.028 (13.4) 0.021 (13.5) 0.044 (15.6) 0.033 (43.7) a) Mor, morphine; Cod, codeine; The, thebaine; Pap, papaverine; Nos, noscapine. b)CV, coefficient of variation (nϭ3). c) pH 6.0. by a vortex mixer. After filtration, 3 ml of the filtrate was washed with chlo- roform (3 ml, acid-CHCl3). The aqueous phase was made alkaline with 28% ammonia, and extracted with a mixture of chloroform and isopropanol (3 : 1) three times (2, 1 and 1 ml). The combined organic extract (base-organic) was concentrated to dryness under nitrogen stream, and the residue was dis- solved in an appropriate volume of 50% aqueous methanol and analyzed by HPLC. The chloroform phase (acid-CHCl3), which was used to wash 5% acetic acid extract, was recovered, concentrated and dissolved in an appro- priate volume of 50% aqueous methanol and similarly analyzed by HPLC. Solid-Phase Extraction A reversed-phase solid-phase extraction car- tridge (Oasis HLB®, Waters Co., Massachusetts, U.S.A.) and a reversed- phase cation-exchange solid-phase extraction cartridge (Oasis MCX®, Wa- ters, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) were used for solid-phase extraction. Powdered plant samples (ca. 50 mg) were extracted with 5 ml of an extraction solvent [water, 5% acetic acid, 0.1 M sodium citrate buffer (pH 6.0)] under sonication for 30 min. After mixing (vortex mixer, 1 min) and centrifugation (18000ϫg, 10 min), 3 ml of the supernatant was purified by solid-phase ex- traction cartridge (either Oasis HLB® or Oasis MCX®) according to the product application protocols10) or their modification indicated in Tables 2 and 3.